HELL ON WHEELS - SHOW PATROL: 'Sanctuary' star Christopher Heyerdahl ignites 'Hell on Wheels'
By Curt Wagner
November 13, 2011
Christopher Heyerdahl’s name is synonymous with such characters as John Druitt and Bigfoot of “Sanctuary,” Todd the Wraith of “Stargate Atlantis” and the vampire Marcus in the “Twilight” films.
Add to that list The Swede, his menacing character in AMC’s post-Civil War Western, “Hell on Wheels.”
“Isn’t he amazing? What a great character, huh,” Heyerdahl said during a recent interview, giving credit to pretty much everyone on the production but himself.
Yet Heyerdahl turns in the unforgettable, Emmy-worthy performance as The Swede, who is actually a Norwegian survivor of the Confederate prison at Andersonville. As head of security for railroad boss Doc Durant (Colm Meaney), The Swede (real name Tor Gundersen) suspects that Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) of murder.
Heyerdahl, who had just finished about six hours of “Sanctuary” ADR for Biggie, called from Vancouver for a wide-ranging chat about how he tapped his Norwegian heritage to play The Swede, what's coming for Biggie on “Sanctuary” and about the upcoming “Twilight: Breaking Dawn...”
... Q: He’s just doing his job, right?
Christopher Heyerdahl: "Well, I don’t even know if it’s so much doing a job as much as it’s always circumstantial, right? Everyone has to survive in this town. It’s not called Hell on Wheels for just a fun little name. It’s filled with murderers and thieves and someone who would steal the last penny out of their mother’s purse. These people are there, not just because they’re out of work, but because they’re all running away from something. Every single person there is running away from something or perhaps they’ve convinced themselves they’re running to something.
And they’re not law-abiding citizens. It’s not like the nice, friendly little town in the West where people are setting up a nice little shops and taking their kids to school. No, this is a very violent place. What’s the saying? “One less every day.”
People are dying or being killed through one action or another in this town. And he’s the guy who has to try and keep body and soul, law and order together in a lawless place. Do that by being understanding and cuddly? No, you got to lay down the law..."
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